Such trays are generally known. They comprise a receiving surface for receiving food, wherein the food, for example on board aeroplanes, may be contained in meal containers, bowls, beakers, cups or the like, which when the tray is used, for example when serving meals with the tray, stand on the receiving surface.
When catering for travellers, in particular on board aeroplanes, it is frequently necessary to serve with the tray a complete meal, the constituents of which (starter, main course, dessert) are contained in several meal containers, so that the receiving surface of the tray has to have a correspondingly large design. This particularly applies when drinks are also to be served at the same time as the meal with the tray. In the case of trays having large receiving surfaces, problems frequently occur on account of the restricted spatial conditions especially on board aeroplanes, for example, if passengers sitting next to one another bump against one another with their trays. There is then the danger that beakers or cups standing on the tray are knocked over and their contents spilt.
In the case of smaller trays having correspondingly smaller receiving surfaces, problems are caused by the fact that the meal containers and the like stand tightly packed on the tray, which makes their handling difficult, for example when opening. Moreover no storage surface, for example for lids removed from meal containers, is available on such trays.
A tray of the pertinent kind is known from the U.S. Pat. No. 1,669,065 and consists of a tray body subtending a first food receiving surface and of a receiving section above and spaced from said first receiving surface, a second food receiving surface being present in the top side of said receiving section.
The receiving section of this known tray is connected in collapsible manner by a folding mechanism to the tray body.
This known tray incurs the drawback that the collapsible linkage of receiving section and tray body renders manufacture complex and hence costly. The known tray incurs a further drawback of limited versatility in use because the receiving section in its operative position always assumes the position relative to the tray body on account of the folding linkage between receiving section and tablet body.
The German patent document A 25 01 427 describes a stackable container and serving tray wherein each serving board offers only one receiving surface. This known tray therefore is poorly applicable to constricted spaces.
A serving tray is known from the German patent document A 21 20 473 which also comprises only one receiving surface and hence is poorly suited for constricted spaces.
The German patent document U 90 02 925.9 describes a plastic multi-way packaging means consisting of a rectangular menu dish with removable cover.
The objective of the invention is to create a tray of the pertinent kind that shall be free of the above cited drawbacks, which therefore shall also be appropriate in constricted spaces, which shall be simple and hence economical to manufacture and which shall be versatile.
This object is achieved by the teaching set forth herein. For example, this object is achieved by the tray according to the invention that includes a tray body having a first food receiving surface, a receiving part spaced above the first food receiving surface, and a second food receiving surface on the top side of the receiving part; that receiving part being configured for being placed on the tray body and being detachably or displaceably connected to the tray body
The basic idea of the teaching specified by the invention lies in arranging receiving surfaces above one another on different planes one above the other so that the actual area of the tray may be small, but the receiving surfaces arranged on planes lying one above the other together form a receiving surface which may be substantially larger than the area.
In this manner spatial problems are avoided, and the handling of the tray is improved.
The tray may have such dimensions with respect to its height that it fits into slide-in compartments of existing trolleys. Consequently special trolleys are not required for the tray specified by the invention.
On account of the receiving surfaces disposed above one another, the area of the tray specified by the invention may be reduced in comparison with conventional trays, without the receiving surface which overall is available being reduced. However with a reduced area a larger number of trays specified by the invention fits into a slide-in compartment of a trolley when compared with conventional trays. Consequently considerable space is saved by saving trolleys when compared with conventional trays, for example on board aeroplanes. By the reduced spatial requirement for the food, it is possible to install additional rows of seats in aeroplanes, or with the same number of rows of seats to increase the spacing between the rows of seats, which saves costs or respectively ensures greater comfort for the passengers.
The receiving part may be securely connected to the tray body, for example moulded in one piece with the tray body. However an advantageous further development of the teaching according to the invention specifies that the receiving part is detachably or movably connected to the tray body. In this embodiment the receiving part may for example be removable, so that after the removal of the receiving part access to meal containers or the like disposed on the first receiving surface is facilitated.
In the above-mentioned embodiment the receiving part is expediently constructed as an attachment placed on the tray body.
In the embodiments with the detachable receiving part, the receiving part expediently comprises an edge from which at opposite sides of the receiving part edge parts extend, which protrude over the underside of the receiving part and with which the receiving part is supported on the tray body. Since the edge parts may be moulded in one piece with the edge of the receiving part, this embodiment is simple and inexpensive to produce. It also has a robust construction.
A particularly advantageous further development of the embodiment with the detachable receiving part specifies that the receiving part is disposed displaceable on the tray body in such a manner that, with the displacement of the receiving part, the second receiving surface moves substantially parallel to the first receiving surface. In this embodiment the user may displace the receiving part to one or the other side into different positions, so that access to meal containers or the like standing on the first receiving surface of the tray body is facilitated.
An expedient further development of the embodiment with the displaceable receiving part specifies that on opposite sides the tray body is provided with grooves extending in the direction of displacement of the receiving part and that the edge parts engage in the grooves by ends shaped substantially to complement the grooves. This embodiment is simple and inexpensive to produce and guarantees a secure retention of the receiving part on the tray body transversely to the direction of displacement. However the receiving part may engage in the grooves by projections extending towards the tray body instead of by the edge parts.
The edge parts expediently extend in the direction of displacement substantially over the entire extent of the receiving part. In this manner the stability of the receiving part and its retention on the tray body transversally to the displacement direction is further improved.
A further development of the embodiment with the grooves specifies that on at least two opposite sides the tray is provided with handles, on the upper side of which the grooves are formed. With this embodiment production is facilitated, because the grooves do not have to be constructed on the tray body, but may be formed in the handles, which during the production of the tray are added to the tray body or are pushed onto a tray edge. However the handles may also be moulded in one piece with the tray body, especially by injection moulding. Moreover the grooves may also be formed between the handle and a part of the tray body.
Another further development of the teaching according to the invention specifies that the second receiving surface formed on the receiving part is smaller than the first receiving surface. In this embodiment the receiving part covers only a part of the first receiving surface in the plan view so that the uncovered part of the first receiving surface is accessible from above. In this manner the handling of meal containers or the like standing on the first receiving surface is facilitated.
In the above-mentioned embodiment the second receiving surface may be roughly half the size of the first receiving surface.
In accordance with another further development of the teaching specified by the invention, the tray and/or the receiving part comprises an edge extending upwardly from the respective receiving surface. In this embodiment objects disposed on the receiving surface are prevented from slipping off the side.
The first receiving surface and/or the second receiving surface may be provided with shaped portions, especially depressions, which limit standing surfaces, which correspond at least partially to the outer contour of the bottom of meal containers, bowls , beakers, cups or the like to be placed on the tray. The retention of these objects on the receiving surface is improved thereby.
The shape and size of the tray may be chosen within wide limits, and the tray may be made from various materials. However the tray body and/or the receiving part is expediently made from plastics, so that the tray specified by the invention can be produced simply and inexpensively. The tray body and/or the receiving part are preferably made from transparent plastics, so that objects disposed on the first receiving surface can be seen through the receiving part beneath the receiving part.
According to a further development of the teaching specified by the invention, the tray comprises connecting means for the detachable connection of the tray to at least one adjacent tray. In this embodiment a detachable series connection of adjacent trays is formed, which is advantageous, for example, when the trays are disposed one behind the other in a trolley and are to be removed one after the other from the trolley. The front tray in the removal direction then entrains the next following tray in the removal direction so that the trays may be comfortably removed one after the other.
A further development of the embodiment with the connecting means specifies that the connecting means are formed by a first connecting element which is disposed laterally on the tray and comprises a groove extending substantially parallel to the side of the tray, and by a second connecting element which is disposed at the side of the tray opposite the first connecting element and comprises a protuberance for form-fit engagement in a groove of a first connecting element of an adjacent tray. This embodiment is simple, inexpensive to produce and operationally safe.
In this case the connecting elements may be disposed on the tray body and/or on the receiving part.
A further development of the embodiment with the connecting elements specifies that the free ends of the connecting elements are constructed as hooks, with the hook of the first connecting element pointing downwards and the hook of the second connecting element pointing upwards in such a manner that the first connecting element of a tray can be hooked on the second connecting element of an adjacent tray. In this embodiment a secure connection of adjacent trays is formed, which can be released by lifting one of the trays and unhooking the first connecting element from the second connecting element of the adjacent tray.
The shape, size and cross-section of the connecting elements can be selected within wide limits. However a particularly advantageous further development of the embodiment with the connecting elements specifies that the first and/or the second connecting element has or have a substantially arrow-shaped cross section, the arrow point of which points away from the tray. One advantage of this embodiment in comparison with the above-mentioned embodiment lies in that the first and second connecting elements of a tray can be connected both to the first connecting elements and also to the second connecting elements of an adjacent tray, whereas with the above-mentioned embodiment it is only possible to connect adjacent trays if a first connecting element of a tray with its downwardly pointing hook lies opposite a second connecting element of an adjacent tray with its upwardly pointing hook.
According to an expedient further development of the embodiment with the connecting elements with the connecting elements having the substantially arrow-shaped cross section, the cross section of the connecting elements increases outwardly along the side of the tray. The connecting elements may, for example, be constructed in such a manner that their cross section increases to the side both upwardly and downwardly along the side of the tray on which the respective connecting element is disposed. If, for example, the connecting element is disposed on a narrow side, then its cross section can increase along the narrow side to the adjacent longitudinal side, for example in such a manner that the area of the arrow point of the arrow-shaped cross section increases. In this manner the hooking of the trays onto one another is facilitated.
The connecting elements may be placed on the tray body and/or the receiving part. In accordance with an expedient further development, the connecting elements are however moulded on the tray body and/or the receiving part. This embodiment can be produced simply and inexpensively.
An advantageous further development of the embodiment with the grooves specifies that in the region of their ends the grooves comprise a stop to limit the displacement of the receiving part in relation to the tray body. In this embodiment the edge parts of the receiving part are prevented from moving out of the grooves in the displacement direction, so that an unwanted detachment of the receiving part from the tray body is avoided.
In this case the stop is expediently formed by the connecting element, so that a separate component is not necessary.
In the embodiment with the edge parts, they may expediently comprise an outwardly pointing edge region in the region of their free ends. If the receiving part is used separately, i.e. without the tray body, the receiving part may be supported by these edge part for example on an edge bead of a table top of a passenger table in an aeroplane.
In the embodiments with the detachable receiving part clamping means may be provided for the connection of the receiving part to the tray body by clamping. An undesired detachment of the receiving part from the tray body is prevented by these clamping means.
The clamping means are in this case expediently formed by at least one clamp, which in the clamping position engages to clamp over the edge of the tray body and the edge region of the edge parts of the receiving part. In this embodiment, when the clamp is clamped on, the receiving part is securely connected to the tray body and after the removal of the clamp can be detached from the tray body.
The clamp may be constructed as a separate part. An advantageous further development however specifies that the clamp is moulded on the edge of the tray body or the edge region of the edge parts of the receiving part. In this embodiment production is simplified, since a separate part is no longer necessary for the clamp.
Another further development of the teaching according to the invention specifies that in the region of its edge the tray body is preferably provided with support parts which protrude over the underside of the tray body. In this embodiment the tray may be housed suspended in a trolley or be supported by the support parts in a compartment of the trolley.
The tray specified by the invention may also comprise more than two planes disposed one over the other, on which receiving surfaces are situated.
The invention is described in further detail below by means of the attached drawings in which exemplified embodiments are represented.